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Summary:Oscar is a fast-talking little fish whose big dreams have a habit of landing him in hot water. Lenny is a great white shark with a sensitive side and a secret -- he's a vegetarian. When a great white lie turns Oscar into an improbable hero and the truth about Lenny makes him an outcast, the two become the most unlikely of friends. (DreamWorks)

Whatever this animated remake has done, it is extremely well-guared at DreamWorks Animation. It is the bodyguard of DreamWorks and looks like Finding Nemo and Dory both had more songs. It is such a musical. I really watch it. 10/10.

Whatever this animated remake has done, it is extremely well-guared at DreamWorks Animation. It is the bodyguard of DreamWorks and looks like Finding Nemo and Dory both had more songs. It is such a musical. I really watch it. 10/10.

Like any studio-financed, machine-pressed animation production, Shark Tale—Dreamworks' feeble response to Pixar's superior Finding Nemo—has several credited directors and writers. But the real, uncredited architects are a bunch of kids in the mall: Every single joke, character detail, musicLike any studio-financed, machine-pressed animation production, Shark Tale—Dreamworks' feeble response to Pixar's superior Finding Nemo—has several credited directors and writers. But the real, uncredited architects are a bunch of kids in the mall: Every single joke, character detail, music montage, and pop-culture reference looks extensively market-tested, whether via screenings, focus groups, or other box-office successes. With dollar signs in its eyes and nothing in its heart, Shark Tale calculates each moment for the broadest appeal, but its impact couldn't be more impersonal. The filmmakers are convinced people will like it because the spreadsheets and pie charts tell them so, not because they've invested it with originality or passion.

Round 2 in the war of attrition between Dreamworks and Pixar (the latter also handily won in the first round, which pitted A Bug's Life against Dreamworks' Antz), Shark Tale steals shamelessly from Finding Nemo, but actually has a good idea at its core. Under the sea, sharks are no doubt near the top of the food chain, so it makes sense to cast them as high-living gangsters, muscling the weaker fish around the reef and turning the ocean into a vast seafood buffet. But the movie really belongs to Will Smith, in full Fresh Prince mode (hip-hop for the whole family!) as a fast-talking, blinged-out little gill-flapper with dreams of upward mobility. In a reef designed to look like Times Square, complete with irritating fake/real product logos for Coral-Cola and the Gup, Smith mops sludge at a Whale Wash while eyeing the penthouse. When a dropped anchor pummels a vicious shark henchman, Smith earns instant money and fame for taking credit for the kill, but mob boss Robert De Niro wants his revenge.

The vocal talents in Shark Tale run deep: A mush-mouthed Jack Black, sounding like an effeminate Arnold Horshack, plays a swishy vegetarian shark; Renée Zellweger plays a doe-eyed Jane who secretly loves Smith; Angelina Jolie plays a fish fatale; and Martin Scorsese plays a double-dealing puffer fish. (Scorsese fanatics who would rather not hear the great director exclaim "Yo! Yo! Yo!" or "Raise the reef!" should stay home.) A few lively early scenes in gangland, particularly the inside jabs between De Niro and Scorsese, suggest that The Godfather could work underwater, though it's a sign of the film's obviousness that the mobsters convene in the Titanic wreckage. Soon enough, Shark Tale gives itself over to Smith, who riffs up his usual storm of non-threatening street language and braggadocio, all while playing a character with an antiheroic desire for banal human crap. Smith feels right at home in an urban seascape cluttered with high-rises, billboards, taxis, and elevators, but the film's aquatic corollary to the real world barely counts as escapism.…Expand

The animation is mediocre, the characters are unmemorable and not very likable, and the story is totally uninspired. The movie uses adult humor to appeal to parents and teenagers with little regard to its main demographic: children, and ultimately the jokes are unfunny and tasteless. And inThe animation is mediocre, the characters are unmemorable and not very likable, and the story is totally uninspired. The movie uses adult humor to appeal to parents and teenagers with little regard to its main demographic: children, and ultimately the jokes are unfunny and tasteless. And in the end, the main character learns NOTHING. He lies, he cheats, he takes advantage of his friends, and he steps on everyone else's heads in order to make his way to the top, and yet his friends still come to his aid. And does he properly apologize for treating everyone he knows like a bunch of chum buckets, or does he at least thank his friends for standing by him even though he was a total jerk? Nope. In the end, the moral of the story is: It's okay to step on heads and lie and cheat your way to the top, as long as you get away with it. That's a great message, no? No! The best thing about this movie is its voice acting, which is pretty easy on the ears but is only decent at best. This movie gets a 3/10 from me. If you want to see a good animated movie that takes place under the sea, don't waste your time with Shark Tale... go find Nemo.…Expand

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[Anonymous]

May 23, 2008

I'm not even gonna sugar-coat it. This has gotta be one of the worst movies I've seen in the last eight years. I hate this movie. Now I never wanna here the song Carwash ever again. This is the most retarded film since Barney's First Movie, and that was just terrible. This is I'm not even gonna sugar-coat it. This has gotta be one of the worst movies I've seen in the last eight years. I hate this movie. Now I never wanna here the song Carwash ever again. This is the most retarded film since Barney's First Movie, and that was just terrible. This is the first time I've ever had a problem with Will Smith or Angelina Jolie. And why would such a big-name actor/director/writer like Martin Scorsese sign on to such a souless, terrible piece of crap? This movie's script make Eragon seem like Shakespeare. The story was as thin as a slice of pizza. Stupid jokes that make no sense and had no reason to be heard. I was wonder what I would give it. 1? 2? But I had to focus on the ending, and that sucked just as much as the rest of the film. If anyone recommends this to you and you see it, I wouldn't speak to them in a long time. …Expand